December 1: Application deadline
Mid-December: Applicants are notified of prescreening results via their Application Portal
End of February, beginning of March: Final auditions at Bard College and in New York City
March 1: Financial Aid Application deadline
Mid-March: Final admissions decisions and financial aid packages released
April 15: Enrollment deadline
In addition to the first-year application requirements, non-native speakers of English must demonstrate proficiency in English. They should take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).* TOEFL scores should be sent to the Graduate Conducting Program by the Educational Testing Service. The Bard College school code is 2037. A minimum score of 600 on the paper-based test (PBT) or 100 on the internet-based test (iBT) is recommended for admission. We also accept the IELTS in place of the TOEFL, with a band score of no less than seven, or the Duolingo Test with a total score of no less than 120. Students should only request results to be sent electronically to Bard College directly from TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test, and not physical documents to be mailed.
Other evidence of English-language proficiency will be accepted only with the approval of the Graduate Admission Committee. An application is considered incomplete and cannot be acted upon until the English proficiency score is received. The deadline for English proficiency score submissions is February 15.
*Students who have spent the majority of their secondary education in an English-medium program may be eligible for a waiver of the language testing requirement.